A wide variety of baby bottle nipples exist. The nipples can typically be coupled to a container storing a fluid, such as milk, formula, juice or water. These nipples are typically somewhat elastic and include a hole to allow passage of the fluid from the container to a baby.
Fluids can be delivered to a baby, for example, by using commercially available nipples secured to a container of fluid or by allowing a baby to suckle directly from a breast of a nursing mother.
Improvements are continually sought in the design of artificial bottle nipples to try to replicate the function and feel of the natural nipple, in part to help ease transitions between breastfeeding and bottle feeding.